Hands off the over-65 health rebate
24 August 2026
The Canberra Liberals have written to Federal Health Minister Mark Butler demanding the Albanese Labor Government dump its plan to axe the higher private health insurance rebate for Australians aged 65 and over.
Canberra Liberals Leader and Shadow Health Minister Mark Parton, and Liberal Senate Candidate for the ACT, Nick Tyrrell have called on the Federal Government to:
Abandon the proposed removal of the higher rebate for those aged 65 and over
Publish the modelling behind its claim that only 44,000 additional older Australians will drop private cover
Conduct further modelling on the impact of reduced private membership on public hospital demand
Properly consult with states and territories before proceeding
Ensure any Commonwealth savings are not achieved by shifting costs and demand onto state and territory public health systems.
“This is a cost-shift pure and simple,” Mr Parton said. “The ACT already has one of the highest private health insurance rates in the country at 54.2%. Pulling the rebate from older Australians risks pushing more patients into our already stretched public hospitals.
“In 2024-25 only 67% of ACT elective surgery patients were treated within clinically recommended timeframes, with overdue patients waiting an average of 164 days.
Older Australians who have paid into private health insurance for years should not be penalised at the exact stage of life when they need it most.”
Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania have already raised similar concerns. The Canberra Liberals are joining them in calling on the Federal Government to reverse course.
Liberal Senate Candidate for the ACT Nick Tyrrell said, “Canberrans deserve better than Federal Labor running roughshod over the Territory and heaping extra pressure onto our local public hospitals. We need full transparency on the modelling and genuine consultation with the ACT before this change proceeds.”
The letter has also been provided to ACT Health Minister Marisa Paterson.